Hunchback Assault Dropship
Key Features *Chin-mounted RAVEN autocannon (x2) *Fuel-air bomb bay (x2) *Hefty armor plating *Life-support system *Cargo bay (multi-purpose) Tactical Analysis Armed to the Teeth: the twin chainguns mounted underneath the chin are capable of tearing up lightly armored targets with a cyclone of 20mm death, and the twin bomb bays mounted on either side of the Hunchback allows the dropship to clear out an area extrmely quickly. Combat Drop: with its reinforced landing struts and rear-ramp disembarkment, soldiers can use the Hunchback for cover, but the need to find more permanent shelter means they cannot stay there. Beware of Fighters: thanks to the angle of the chainguns, Hunchbacks are generally not so effective against other aircraft unless they are below the craft, and the bomb bays are literally useless against them unless a miracle occurs. Towing Cables: a Hunchback can also drop down, secure clamps to a vehicle and lift off. The weight capacity is officially labeled as 'everything below a Mammoth tank'. In the case of a small profile vehicle such as a Brawler or Razorback, however, a Hunchback can fit two. Operational History The Hunchback was a pre-war shuttle design, meant for the transport of people and materials from ships in orbit. However, once the war went underway many groups started realizing their use as transports, giving them a hefty dropship to get people moved out of the area and drop troops into combat. While many different kinds of shuttle can transport infantry and tanks, the ability to do all of that with one craft is exceptionally appealing to the Forge Defense Initiative, and the Hunchback was plated with armor and weaponized. Compared to the stock civilian Hunchback, the military version is superior in every way. Numerous modifications have been made to these shuttles, with more powerful engines, additional fuel tanks, stronger and lighter composites for the aircraft's fuselage, and so on, all of which enhance performance, increasing range, protection, top speed, and so on. Among the modifications, Hunchbacks possess electrical electro-magnetic winches, which in combination with their improved engines let them carry vehicles in addition to the standard passengers. While the exact weight has never been clocked, the Hunchback has been seen to be able to pick up anything weighing less than a Mammoth super-heavy tank (the only test done resulted in all four cables snapping the magnets from their mounts in only a few seconds). Of course, the most noticeable modification of the military variant is its weapons; thanks to the chin-mounted ball turret controlled by the copilot, the Hunchback possesses not one but two RAVEN chainguns, electrically powered monstrosities that can spit out thousands of rounds a minute each. These guns provide the Hunchback with enough firepower to utterly wreck lightly armoured vehicles and shred infantry platoons, and allow these dropships to provide highly effective fire support for forces on the ground. But the real kicker in its updated arsenal is the brace of MX-234 fuel-air bombs, three in each pod. With these, a dropship doesn't have to worry about a clear LZ below them, as two or three of these explosives will wipe out any resistance below or blow away foliage in a large enough radius to allow a comfortable landing. Category:Aircraft